1. Field of the Art
This disclosure is generally related to electrical transmission and networking systems, and more specifically to supplying diverse power and data to uniform tap points in robotic vehicles so that different peripherals can be swapped and reconfigured.
2. Background
Mobile robotic systems have become more prevalent as time progresses. In the past, such systems were used only by those who could afford them in places where the risk to humans was extreme. For example, mobile robots have been used by government space agencies for planetary exploration, nuclear agencies for damage assessments in radioactive chambers, police departments for bomb disposal, oil companies for undersea drilling, and militaries for mine clearance. As technologies have improved, mobile robots have become more pervasive and less expensive. More industries can afford their use, and they have been put to use in areas where there is less risk to humans or where the cost of the robots is offset by the savings in human labor. For example, aerial drones have been used for border surveillance, wheeled robots for crop harvesting, and tracked robots for companies' intra-office mail delivery.
Robotic systems are typically an assemblage of components, such as motors, sensors, and computers. Naturally, as the components improve, better robots can be made. As components become faster, more accurate, and less expensive, the robotic systems that incorporate the components can become more nimble, interact with humans better, and be available to a wider audience.
With technological advances of components come more communication interface standards for the various components of robots. For example, computers have evolved from using RS-232 serial ports and parallel ports to using the Universal Serial Bus (USB®) and HDMI® communication standards. Robots' communication systems have followed suit. Because old communication standards stay around for a long time for backward compatibility while new standards ramp up in popularity, it is not uncommon for different components to incorporate different communication interface standards. This has been an ever-present problem in the computer industry.
Yet, robotics incorporates more than just computers. Robotic systems typically pull an eclectic mix of components from the motor, sensor, vehicle, and other arts. Mobile robotic systems, especially ruggedized systems for outdoor use, sometimes pull components originally made for automobiles, boats, aircraft, or military systems. Power requirements, such as voltage levels and current draws, for the various components may be drastically different from one another because they are pulled from various arts. Especially for robots that can transport themselves from one place to another or are otherwise mobile, having various power and communications interfaces are a problem because they add size and weight to the robot.
Consequently, many current robotic systems are highly integrated with a specific set of cabling and connections required for each possible system configuration. This leads to the creation and management of many different fixed system level variants, where the elements of such systems cannot be changed without creating a new fixed system variant. For example in the military, an entirely different robot may be needed for chemical detection versus one that is wired for mine detection. Having separate robots for the tasks is typically more expensive and requires a broader logistics trail than having one reconfigurable system.
There is a need in the art for less expensive robotic systems.